


A Cold And Broken Hallelujah

by SincerelySerotonin



Series: A Cold And Broken Hallelujah [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M, Four Part Story, first story in the series, mishmash of Zelda verses, not canon to BotW but inspired by it, series not necessarily chronologically in order
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-19 04:28:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29993889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SincerelySerotonin/pseuds/SincerelySerotonin
Summary: Zelda never should have fallen in love with Robbie. It was her duty to her kingdom to find a man to wed to help unite a divided kingdom. Now, faced with a marriage offer she never asked for and can't refuse, she's forced to decide what's more important: her kingdom or her heart.
Relationships: Robbie/Zelda
Series: A Cold And Broken Hallelujah [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2206296
Kudos: 4





	1. Composing Hallelujah

**Author's Note:**

> _And it's not a cry that you hear at night.  
>  It's not somebody, who's seen the light.  
> It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah._
> 
> __

To be honest, Zelda never understood how poets and scholars did their work so well. Putting quill to parchment, putting word after word down both eloquently and beautifully, seemed nigh impossible, and now more so than ever.

She had all the tools necessary to make this happen. Her inkwell was perfectly full with the finest ink Goron merchants could provide. Her parchment was smooth and beautiful. Her pen was a feather plucked from a grown Helmaroc.

She had everything she needed so… why? Why was this so hard?

Impa glanced up at the princess from where she sat in the corner of a room, marking the place in her book with her thumb. Zelda felt her knowing gaze on her back, and glanced over her shoulder, only to get flustered and hurriedly look away.

“You really are overthinking this, your Highness,” the handmaiden said with a small chuckle.

“I suppose you may be right, but I just want this to be perfect.” She absentmindedly twirled a few locks of her long, blonde hair around her finger as she spoke. “I can’t see him in person, so I want to make sure I say everything I need to.”

Zelda still wasn’t entirely sure how it had happened, how a silly crush on a brilliant but eccentric Sheikah scientist turned into a full blown secret relationship. But it had, and Zelda couldn’t be happier. 

As far as her father knew, Zelda was still patiently waiting to find a proper suitor worth marrying, but had yet to find one that caught her interest, let alone one who could help unify the fragile land Zelda was to rule over.

The truth was nowhere near that complex. During her frequent visits to the far off land of Akkala, the princess had fallen for the quirks and quips of a royal scientist by the name of Robbie. He was a widowed man likely around his late thirties, or perhaps even early forties, but he had more energy and life than any young prince or noble ever could. 

And it was that unique soul that drew her to him.

For months, she’d thought her feelings unreturned, left to blossom then fester in her chest. One day, she worked up enough courage to spit her feelings out in the hopes that she would be gracefully shot down and she could move on with her life without her crush holding her back.

The opposite had happened.

As it turned out, Robbie had fallen for as well, but duty made him hold his tongue. Zelda’s honesty, however, loosened it enough to let the older man admit he’d fallen for her smile and wisdom.

And thus began the princess’s affair, not with any man she would court but with her very kingdom.

Months had merged together until two years had passed and Zelda had reached twenty-six years of age. Perhaps someday soon the princess would work up the courage to tell her father the truth about her relationship with Robbie, perhaps even make it possible and allow the next king of Hyrule to be a wise Sheikah man.

“Just be honest about how you feel, Princess. Tell him how your duties are, what you’ve been up to lately. I’ve known Robbie most of my life and I can assure you he’s going to be excited to read whatever you say to him.”

“But, Impa-”

“And, don’t worry. If you need more parchment, I can go get some. We have plenty in the library, and I’ve befriended some of the castle sages. Everything will be fine.”

Zelda breathed out a sigh, then chuckled. Impa had looked after the princess since she was little more than a child, though Impa was only a year and a half older than Zelda. She always seemed to know what she was thinking, though Zelda couldn’t offer her the same luxury. All she could offer was her friendship and occasional advice, though Impa never seemed to hold that against the royal heir.

“I suppose you’re right.” She looked back at her quill, then dipped it in the ink for what surely must have been the umpteenth time. “I suppose I ought to start with a greeting then… How does ‘To my dearest Robbie’ sounds to you?”

“Sounds like you’re still madly in love,” Impa said with a half-hearted chuckle.

“And I am. So I suppose it will do.”

Just as she put pen tip to parchment, knuckles rapped against her bedroom door. 

“Zelda,” came a familiar voice.

It was her father King Bosphoramus Nohansen Hyrule, named after two of the kingdom’s most reputable kings, though now long since faded to little more than legdd.

Zelda hurriedly glanced down at the papers before her, then over her shoulder at the door, then back again. There wasn’t much to hide, only the letter in the envelope with the broken Sheikah seal. She hurriedly stuffed it in the left drawer of her desk.

“Yes, Father?”

“May I come in?”

This was odd. It was late into the evening, and her father rarely bothered to bid her goodnight after he’d retreated to his study. Something must have happened.

_To Robbie?_

The thought alone set her heart racing but, no, she didn’t think that was the case. She breathed in, then slowly breathed out to calm her nerves.

Then she called back, “Of course. Come on in.”

The door slowly opened to reveal the large figure of her father with something hidden behind his back. The princess quirked a blonde brow.

“Father, is everything alright?”

“I would say that it is.” He gave a firm nod. “In fact, it may be going quite well.”

Something about the way that he spoke did little to ease her nerves. In fact, it served to do just the opposite, setting her on edge.

He pulled out an envelope from behind his back, much like the one Robbie’s letter to the princess currently rested in, tucked away within her drawer. However, the king’s letter lacked the beautiful red wax seal in the form of the Sheikah eye. 

“What is that?”

“A marriage proposal, at long last. I’ve already accepted on your behalf.”

His words pulled Zelda to her feet. “Beg pardon?” she asked, her voice cracking. “I never agreed to this!”

“I understand that, my child, but you must understand that this proposal held too much power to bring peace to our kingdom for me to turn down.”

Zelda’s hands shook. She tried to stop the trembling by balling her hands into fists, fingers digging into the soft fabric of her nightdress, but that did little to serve their purpose. She understood that she had a duty to this kingdom as its princess, but she had prayed her own heart’s desires might still hold some weight.

“Father, please…”

“It was from Lord Ganondorf Dragmire of the Gerudo.”

Her pleas stopped in her throat, threatening to suffocate her. She felt she may choke on her words any moment as she stared down at the floor, blinking back tears. She understood now. She couldn’t turn this down as much as she wanted to, not alone. 

But what could Robbie do? He held no power, no influence aside from what his status as a royal scientist gave him. But there were others with far more power, influence, and money than a simple commoner turned scientist could ever offer. And one of the most powerful, most influential men just sent her a marriage proposal.

An offer she couldn’t refuse.

“I don’t want this,” she said softly.

She didn’t want this, but her kingdom was at stake. By uniting two of the greatest powers Hyrule had to offer, it would be the start of bringing this kingdom back from the brink of the civil wars that threatened its peoples. And, provided Lord Dragmire wasn’t foolish as his past counterparts who had tried to murder the Zeldas that came before her, there was little chance its effects would fail or fall short.

She had no choice.

“Fine. I know I must accept.”

The tense look on the king’s face relaxed, if only ever so slightly.

“But, I would like one last request. A wish, if you will. I would like Robbie to be the first to know of my betrothal.”

The older man raised a thick, white brow. “Robbie? You mean the scientist from Akkala? But… why?” 

Zelda managed a bittersweet smile, praying it wouldn’t give away any of the heartbreak growing inside of her. 

“Over the past few years, he’s taught me much of technology and his people. He’s my dearest mentor. Surely that gives him the right to know this first.”

The king hesitated for a moment, thinking his daughter’s request over, then nodded. “I’ll allow it. Your future husband and I will keep this matter quiet until you’ve returned.”

A trip to Akkala would give the princess sufficient time to think up another solution. At least, that’s what she prayed to the golden goddesses for as her father excused himself and bid her goodnight one last time, before quietly closing the door behind him.

Zelda took a few staggered steps before throwing herself down on her bed. Sobs shook her body as she clung to her silk-covered pillow and cried. Impa was quick to come to her side, rubbing small circle’s in the blonde’s nightgown.

“Princess…” her voice was soft, but offered no advice, and little comfort.

But what else could she do? 

And what else could Zelda do? It was her love or her kingdom - a price that any wise ruler could easily choose between. But Zelda didn’t consider herself wise; she was a human, and she had a heart.

It would be little more than a few weeks before the news was revealed.

All she could do was hope, cry, and pray.

That, and wish. Wish with all her heart. Wish that Robbie would save her like a knight in shining armor.


	2. No Victory March

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> __
> 
> _And I've seen your flag on the marble arch.  
>  But listen, love, love is not some kind of victory march.  
> No, it's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah._

Even riding horseback, the trip to Akkala was agonizingly slow. Zelda spent most of her time on her white steed, staring out at the horizon, planning and replanning how best to break the news to Robbie. 

What would he even say? He’d already lost one love. For him to have to lose another…

Zelda still regretted not just saying “no” to her father. But she knew him well enough to know that pushing back in retaliation would just cause him to double down on his position. And if he caught wind of Robbie’s involvement as more than a mentor to the princess, there was always the possibility he may be executed. Zelda wasn’t willing to take that risk.

And so she thought over her word choice and lack of options yet again as the Akkala sunset lit the world a bright orange.

For once, Zelda wasn’t accompanied by her best friend and chosen knight, a young woman by the name of Breath. The king had sent her away on another mission, something about the rising threat of the Yiga in the southwestern desert region. Instead, she had a handful of guards she wasn’t particularly familiar with, as well as her royal retainer Impa. She was sure she was in good hands, no matter how her stomach churned at the thought of all this.

Finally, some days later, they arrived at the citadel. Servants and scientists helped a couple of the knights stable their horses and take their belongings to guest bedrooms. 

Zelda hesitated by the entrance a few moments, before another guard motioned for her to lead the way. She nervously glanced to Impa, who solemnly nodded. 

_May as well get this over with…_

The sound of riding boots and armored soles filled the halls of the quiet citadel, causing its inhabitants to look up at the group, before bowing. They knew their princess, and even here knew to give her respect. Or perhaps they chose to. Zelda cared little about the massed at the moment; she only cared about one man’s opinion, and she was on his way to see him now.

Zelda hesitated by the large dining room, scanning the silver-haired folk for the familiar scientist, then scanning once more to make sure she hadn’t missed him the first time. He wasn’t here.

As if sensing what the princess was seeking, one of the head scientists made her way to the group.

“Ah, yeah! Check it!” The woman struck a pose, then giggled cheerily. “How’s it going, Princess? And… sister?”

Impa’s cold gaze towards Purah’s informality, caused the older woman to hesitate, and at least bow her head in a small show of respect. The older sister had always been more formal and relaxed, a trait that Zelda appreciated. Sometimes she just wanted to be able to let her guard down around others. 

Zelda managed a small smile and curtsy. “Hello, Purah. I’ve come to speak to Robbie. But…” She glanced about the large hall once more. “I don’t see him.”

The Sheikah woman shook her head. “Honestly, I haven’t seen him all day. Maybe he pulled another of those allnighters. He gets so pumped about an idea, and totally forgets to do anything else ‘til he just crashed.”

A soft chuckle. “That does sound like him.”

Purah leaned back against a nearby wall, hands clasped behind her back. “Do you remember the way to his lab? It’s been a hot minute since you were last here.”

The princess shook her head. “No, I remember the way. Thank you though.”

“No worries!” the scientist sing-songed. “Take care. And, sis, you better come chat with me later. We need to catch up!”

Impa muttered a small excuse, a promise, and then hurried to follow the princess to the east wing’s tallest tower. Many of the guards dispersed to do routine inspections on the citadel, but a few remained to make sure the princess was safely escorted to the laboratory.

Finally, all that stood between Zelda and her love was a finely-crafted door. Her knuckles rapped against the wood, and she waited.

One second passed, then two, then…

Behind the door came the startled gasp of someone just waking up, then a low groan as the voice’s owner realized they’d fallen asleep in the middle of whatever they were working on.

“Robbie, are you in there?” Zelda asked.

It was all she could do to keep her tone polite and even, almost to a clinically cold extent. Were she alone with just Robbie, or even if Impa or Purah were there, the princess could surely let her guard down and be more honest about her feelings. 

But they weren’t alone. Her father’s knights were with them, and one wrong move would surely send Robbie to the gallows. Zelda wouldn’t allow that - not now, not ever.

“Hnnng?” came a groaned, confused noise. Quickly followed by… “Ah! Zelda!”

Exhaustion was quickly taken over by surprise. Footsteps hurriedly paced to the door, which was opened to a very weary-looking man, well into middle age. 

Dark circles hung beneath red eyes. His goggles were pushed up his forehead, disconnected from the device Robbie usually kept strapped to his back. For now, the device was nowhere on his person, instead stashed away safely in a corner where it wouldn’t get in his way 

A large smile curved his lips upwards, only to falter at the sight of her companions.

“ _Princess_ Zelda and company, I see…” It was clear some of his earlier enthusiasm had been lost, though Zelda didn’t blame him. And, though the title made her stomach ache, she didn’t blame him for using it either.

He shifted his weight uncomfortably. Though he was often an excitable and overly energetic individual, over the years Zelda spent by his side, she had learned that he got nervous around large crowds and acted all the more enthusiastic to hide his anxieties.

Robbie leaned against the doorframe, letting his brows furrow in confusion for only a few moments, before he let another grin spread across his face. Zelda knew he was faking it, but she was certain the only other one who would that was present was Impa. 

“So what brings you all here today? Need an update on Guardian technology. ‘Cause I can do that.”

Zelda waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, no. It’s nothing like that, Robbie. Rather, I came to inform you of some news from the capital. And I couldn’t think of anyone better to share it with you.”

Her confidant. Her best kept secret. Her lover.

“After all, you’re my dear mentor.” 

It was all she could do to keep her tone even. She was supposed to be happy for her marriage. That’s what the knights expected, though it couldn’t be further for the truth. But she had to keep acting, for her sake and for Robbie’s.

He must have known. He was a genius after all, though she wondered if he could even begin to guess what had brought her to see him after so long apart.

Zelda opened her mouth, but the words died at the tip of her tongue. Again she tried, and again words failed. She chewed nervously at her lip as she dug the letter out of her satchel bag she had brought with her.

“Hm? A letter? What for?”

She watched his crimson eyes dart between the ornate envelope in her hand and the look in her green eyes, as if trying to determine just what message Zelda was trying to leave unspoken. He took it from her, breaking the golden Hylian seal with his thumb and taking the gold trim letter out. 

Back and forth, back and forth - his eyes followed the words across the page, his expression an unreadable void that sent Zelda’s nerves on edge.

Finally, he looked up, brows furrowed. 

“I… I don’t understand,” he mumbled.

Zelda forced the cheeriest smile she could possibly muster to her face.

_Smile,_ she told herself. _Just keep smiling until we’re alone._

“Robbie, I’m honored to tell you I’ve been betrothed to Lord Dragmire of the Gerudo. I shall be his wife and, soon, the queen of this country. I do hope you’ll attend our wedding.”

A moment’s hesitation, before a grin spread across his face.

“My little mentee’s getting married. Ahhh, yeah!!” He struck a familiar pose with his finger pointed towards the ceiling, causing Zelda to chuckle - for once, an honest reaction.

The knights were grinning ear to ear. She wondered if they fell for the ruse, of an older man being excited his younger protegee was getting married. Or did they know? Were they aware of the feelings best left unsaid between the two? Zelda prayed to every god and goddess she knew the name of that they were just excited for their beloved princess to be at the next stage of her life.

“Why don’t you come in so you can give me all the details? I wanna hear all about this lord, make sure the princess is going into good hands and all.”

Zelda understood what he was really trying to say. _Come in so we can figure out how to talk ourselves out of this mess we’ve gotten into._ She was more than happy to oblige.

“It would be my pleasure.” She turned to her guards, clasping her hands behind her back in a show of mock innocence. “Is that alright with all of you?”

“Of course, Princess,” Impa said, speaking for the knights and herself. “Take all the time you need.”

Zelda watched as the small group dispersed. They had food to ease, rest to catch up on, and friends and relatives they’d not visited with in ages. That gave Zelda all the time she needed to catch up with Robbie.

Which, honestly, was exactly what she needed.


	3. Faith and Proof

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NSFW warning! Smut in this chapter!
> 
> Chapted previously titled "Experimentation" because I forgot the theme and it was 3 AM.
> 
> _Your faith was strong but you needed proof.  
>  You saw her bathing on the roof.  
> Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you._

Robbie shut the door behind Zelda, before placing his ear to the wood, carefully listening until the knights’ footsteps had faded into the distance.

Once he was certain they were alone, the smile was quick to vanish to himself as he returned to his desk chair and practically threw himself down into it. One hand raked through his silver mane; the other lifted his coffee mug to his lips, only for him to pull it away and look down in frustration to find it empty.

Crimson eyes followed Zelda as she crossed the room, hopping up on a table and crossing her legs at the ankles. He looked so much older than before, so tired and broken.

“How did this happen?” he asked, his voice little more than a whisper. “Did you try to talk your way out of it? Or have Impa try?”

Zelda’s top teeth bit down into her soft lower lip, her gaze focused on the floor as she counted how many tiles made up the pattern there. One, two, three… She didn’t know how to respond, so she didn’t.

He placed the mug on the coffee as he turned from her. One arm rested on the table, and he held his head up with the other hand, fingers massaging his aching head.

“You couldn’t, could you?” His voice cracked at the end and he looked away, probably hoping Zelda wouldn’t comment on it; she gave him that much, at least.

She shook her head. “I knew already. Even if I tried to argue with Father, he would have thought of every counterargument possible and just shoot me down without hesitation. I didn’t know what to do or say, so i just did nothing. I’m sorry. I... I just felt so… helpless.”

He let out a low grunt, acknowledging her words. He sighed softly. Finger tips traced the mouth of his coffee mug, as he set another pot to start brewing from a nearby invention.

“I can imagine.” He calmly collected the papers on his desk, gathering them into one neat pile and then tapping them against the table to make them nice and even. “In that case… anything I can help with?”

Zelda was so used to him overflowing with emotion. To have him be so calm and clinical, like a doctor doing little more than taking vitals for a routine check-up… It all felt so wrong. Zelda hated it; she hated him in that moment.

“What do you mean ‘anything you can help with’? You’re a genius! Surely, surely, you must have some idea that can get me out of this. I don’t want to marry him, Robbie!” The words caught in her throat and she sucked in a shaking breath. “I… I don’t want to do it…”

_I only want to be with you._

As that thought crossed her mind and caused her chest to tighten, tears began to sting her eyes. She didn’t want to be a queen or a wife or a symbol of peace. She didn’t want to be reduced to any of those, or any other stupid thing the kingdom decided they needed her to be. 

All she wanted was to be by Robbie’s side today, and tomorrow, and for every day after that. And she couldn’t. She knew she couldn’t. She had her duties and her kingdom to look after. 

But it wasn’t like she couldn’t just ignore her heart. She couldn’t lie to herself about how she felt, even if she had to lie to the world every day.

“I love you, and you only.”

The admission was what broke her. The tears she’d been fighting to hold back came all at once like a flood. She held her head in her hands, shoulders shaking as she tried helplessly to stifle sobs.

It was too much; it was just too much.

“But I can’t be with you,” she sobbed. “I can’t. If Father knew about you, about _us_ … I just, I don’t know what he’d do. If he said I could never see you again, I don’t know what I’d do.”

And if he did any worse than that.

She sucked in a shaking breath, breathing it out in a soft cry.

Finally, _finally_ , he stood from his chair and crossed the room, taking her trembling form in his arms. He held her tight against him like he was afraid to let her go, like he had to let her go. One calloused hand rubbed circles in his back. The other thumbed through her long blonde hair.

She nestled her head in the crook of his shoulder, letting the dirty fabric of his worn lab coat muffle her cries. It was safer this way.

“You don’t need to hold back,” he said, his tone numb and broken. “I’ll be here for you however I can, be that as a mentor or your friend.”

She pulled back with a look of horror on her face. “You can’t mean-”

He managed a half-hearted smile. “Or I could find somewhere for you to hide away ‘til this all blows over.”

The look of horror turned to hope for just a few seconds, but just as quickly darkened the resignation as she realized just how impossible that was. Back her head went to the stained white fabric.

“It won’t blow over. You know that. We both know that,” she mumbled.

His chin rested atop her head. “I know. Once the king’s made his mind up, there’s no going against him.”

She clung tight to his coat, fingers digging into the creases of the fabric. She had to remember how she felt by his side, had to remember the way she fit into his arms. A thought crossed her mind whether she wanted it to or not: Would her future husband ever hold her like this? Would she ever let him?

She didn’t want to.

“I love you,” she told him again, firmer and more desperate. Her voice cracked, but she wouldn’t stop at that. She had to get all these feelings out, had to convey how she felt to him, before the tears let loose again. “I love you, _I love you_ ,” she said it again and again, her words become a desperate cry, a mantra, a whisper, a prayer.

“And I love you,” he whispered, planting a kiss to the crown of her head.

Her mind raced through any and every possibility. _There has to be another way. Golden goddesses, please, there MUST be another way!_

And yet the world remained terribly still, as if waiting for the two to accept their fate. Considering Robbie’s calm attitude towards all of it, maybe he’d already accepted it. 

How? How could he just remain so calm in so stressful a situation? Couldn’t he fight back? Get angry? Anything? Or maybe this serious side was just his way of dealing with a problem too big for him to ever fight against.

It wasn’t fair. Not to her. Not to her feelings.

Before she could stop herself, the words passed her lips: “Don’t you care…?”

He pulled back from her. Finally, he looked something other that awful, neutral blankness. His brows rose up his forehead in shock. Crimson eyes darted back and forth as if unable to comprehend such cruel words could pass such pretty lips.

“Zelda,” he said softly.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled weakly, pulling out of his grip. “It was wrong of me to say that.”

She turned on the table to face partly away from him. She lowered her hands to her lap, fingers interlocking as her thumb gently massaged the back of her hand.

He moved to sit on the table next to her. A calloused hand rested on the table in case she chose to hold it. He looked away from her, head propped up on his other hand.

“I do care,” he said. His brows creased as his eyes darted back and forth over lab equipment. It was almost like he was searching for something. “But panicking isn’t going to help.”

“I know.” She sighed. “But what can we do?”

He huffed in frustration. “I… I don’t know. Something - there has to be something we can do. Maybe if we accept dealing with bounties…” 

His voice trailed off. His eyes lit up. Had he thought of something?

“Robbie?” That hopeful tone was enough to get her to turn to him, lightly placing one of her hands on his. “Did you think of something?”

“Maybe,” he said. “I need more time, but I have to do this. I won’t let them just take you from me.”

“Good. Because I don’t want to be taken.” But something he’d said earlier struck her as odd. It took her a moment, but the words had finally sunk in enough to register. “What was that about a bounty though?”

He managed a small shrug as a half-hearted grin spread across his face. “I figure there’s a bounty for kidnapping, though _kidnapping_ is a harsh word when you want me to take you away from this.”

“No.”

His mouth opened slightly. It took a moment for words to pass those chapped lips. “No?” was all he could manage.

“No. Absolutely not.” Zelda gave his hand a firm, reprimanding squeeze. “Not only will there definitely be a bounty for that, there’s also a price you have to pay if you get caught. And that price is your life.”

“It’s a risk I’m willing to take,” he replied. That confidence… He really was going to do it.

“Robbie, please… Father would kill you…”

And she’d never be able to forgive herself if that happened.

“But let’s say he wasn’t able to catch us? That no one could catch us? What then?” His words grew faster. If it wasn’t for the damnably serious situation, his excitement would have been infectious.

“I’d go anywhere with you, you know that. But I _can’t_ lose you!”

He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. “How do you think I feel?” he asked. “I won’t let this kingdom take anyone else from me. I won’t be powerless again.”

For a few seconds, she saw a few drops glisten in his eyes, but he was quick to turn away, furiously wiping his eyes on his sleeve as if to will the tears away before they had a chance to fall.

And then he turned back to her with that hopeful grin. “And you don’t need to worry about me, okay? I know the laws of science and the marvels of technology better than anyone else in this kingdom. I even helped build some of the secret passageways in the castle. If anyone can think of something, it’s me.”

If only it was so easy to believe him.

But she knew she wouldn’t be the only one broken if she was forced to be wed to that horrible Gerudo man. So would he. He may have been her first love, but she knew she wasn’t his. He’d been in love before. Hell, he’d been married. He never did say what brought his former wife’s life to an end but, whatever it was, he still had his regrets that weighed heavy on him even now.

She refused to become another regret.

“How long do you need?” she asked. 

“A month. Try to buy me a month’s worth of time, okay? If you give me that, I’ll make sure no one will ever hurt you again.”

And she believed him.

“I can do that. At least, I can try.”

“That’s all I ask of you.”

“But, please… Don’t risk your safety for my sake. I love you too much to lose you.”

But he just pressed a loving kiss to her lips and teased, “I’m a man of science. Safety is merely a secondary priority to a man seeking knowledge, let alone love.” He smiled at the chuckle that brought about; he always had loved her laugh. “But… I’ll try.”

“You better.”

He pulled her close to him for another kiss, this one deeper, longer, more affectionate. 

“Just promise me you won’t let them lay a hand on you.”

“I promise,” she said, before closing the distance between them again.

The kisses grew more heated, but it was no new occurrence for them. The love shared between them had gone far enough that it may as well have been a death sentence were it ever to be discovered. Even if it had been a noble or royalty she’d yet to marry, it would have been scandalous at best.

She would have had it no other way.

He finally broke the kiss, chuckling at her heavy breaths and the small whine he elicited from her. He lowered her hand to her ass, giving it a firm squeeze and chuckling at the small, mewling noise that drew forth.

“We have a bit of time,” he said, his tone low and hungry. “What say we spend it the best way we know how?”

She looked at him through eyes half-lidded with lust. “I would love nothing more,” she said.

She watched as he rid himself of his belt and trousers, kicked his shoes and socks off without a second thought. But his hands slowly unbuttoned his jacket and shrugged it off with an agonizing slowness before he helped her out of the confines of her royal riding attire.

Each touch had her breath catching in his throat, but she nodded whenever he hesitated. She was fully and wholly his, and she always would be. 

“Please, Robbie,” she begged. “I need you.”

That cocky grin spread across his face as the last of her garments were dropped haphazardly on the floor. 

“Then let’s start the experiment, shall we? Get on the table and make sure you keep those legs apart.”

His commanding tone sent shivers down her spine in the best way, and she eagerly did as he asked. Legs spread as he dropped his shirt and moved towards her. Her eyes widened at his length. He was hard and eager, though she didn’t blame him.

He needed her as much as she did him.

He planted gentle kisses to her lips, neck, shoulder as he lowered one hand to her entrance. His thumb circled the folds, making her squirm at the touch. She was already so wet, more so than any princess ever truly ought to be, especially for a man who wasn’t her husband.

She threw her head back and let out a low cry that made him chuckle as he dipped a finger into her warmth.

“Th-there, _there_!”

Her back arched as his fingers picked up a steady pace. She may have cum then and there if he hadn’t pulled out.

“Mm?” she whined, lifting herself up to get a good look at whatever made him stop.

Just in time for him to slide his girth in.

He was so warm, so hard, so ready. And she was just tight enough for him to grunt and comment on it in a low growl.

“Just tell me what you need, my little flower. I’ll gladly give it to you.”

The pace was steady at first, but grew faster and needier until her breathy gasps turned to wanton moans.

She wondered what her people would think of her if they knew the truth. A whore of a princess? A slut of a future ruler? So be it! They could say what they wanted so long as she was by Robbie’s side.

“You,” she begged. “I just need you.”

Despite the cold metal table chilling her back, the warmth of his body heated her to her very core. Nails dug into his back as she wrapped her legs around him to make sure he wouldn’t leave before she was good and ready.

But he was an experienced partner. He wouldn’t leave before they’d both had their fill.

“You can have all of me and more,” he promised. “Though, do let me know if you need me to go any faster. You know how _invested_ I can be in things.”

Goddesses, that teasing tone was near enough to make the cup overflow!

“And I do need more,” she begged.

He didn’t hesitate. The thrusts became harder, faster, and more than enough to knock the breath out of her in those desperate cries. There was nowhere else she’d rather be than here with him.

He may have had energy and strength - came with being able to drag back rotten Guardians to his lab for work - but his age was catching up to him. He couldn’t last much longer, but he knew she couldn’t either, being the delicate dear that she was.

With a spasm of their hips, he pushed as deep as he could inside her and filled her to the brim with all he could hold. She let out the sweetest moan as he came, and he could tell she had as well.

Neither of them registered that the lab door had opened and closed. They weren’t alone.


	4. Broken Throne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, back to titles based on Hallelujah. Because it's not 3 AM and I didn't forget this time.
> 
> __
> 
> _She tied you to a kitchen chair  
>  She broke your throne, and she cut your hair,  
> And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah._

Zelda breathed out a contented sigh as she rode out the high of her orgasm. Her heart pounded in her chest and ears as she heaved slow breaths until she felt at peace.

Her lips parted to remind the scientist that she loved him yet again, but she was cut off by a feminine voice clearing her throat before she had the chance.

“Your Majesty!” Impa hissed. Her expression was contorted in some mixture of anger, horror, and embarrassment. 

To her left was her sister, who managed a small “Huh…” She put her hands on her hips and stared for a few moments. It took Impa’s punching her arm with just a little too much force to get her to look away.

“I-Impa! A-and Purah!”

“Sorry for the intrusion, you two,” Purah said with a slight teasing tone. Zelda couldn’t tell if she was actually sorry or just making the most out of a bad situation.

Neither made her feel much better. 

It took Zelda mere seconds to pull apart from Robbie. She had to cover up and quick. But with what? She grabbed the first thing she saw. The dirties lab coat was more than long enough to cover her front, its dirty white contrasting with her flushed scarlet face.

Though Zeldah ad the decency to cover herself up, Robbie didn’t show any such care. He simply sat up on the table, one leg crossed casually on the other, a hand placed behind him to stay balanced.

“Princess, what in Hylia’s name were you thinking?” Impa demanded, silver brows creased and creating angry lines in the woman’s face. “Really, what if someone heard you? Or worse, saw you?!”

Purah shifted her weight beside her, hands shoved in her pockets as she let her gaze trail over the lab. If Zelda were to guess what she was doing, Purah was probably trying to find something to look at other than her lounging, naked coworker and her embarrassed, near-naked princess.

“Maybe it’s a good thing we checked on you two,” Purah mused. “Better us than someone else anyways…”

“Though if they’d been smart, we wouldn’t be in this situation at all,” Impa grumbled, shaking her head in disgust.

Zelda stammered out whispered apologies to the sisters as Impa helped gather her clothes. The Sheikah handmaiden and her sister turned their backs so the princess could change in pseudo-privacy. Impa was too angry at Robbie to care what he did, though she seemed relieved to see the scientist had dressed himself too.

“Was… was that all you came here for?” Zelda asked, trying to compose herself as best she knew how. It wasn’t easy. 

Purah was the first to reply. “Not exactly.” 

“Actually, His Majesty sent word by Rito messenger.”

Impa raised her left hand to reveal an envelope with golden decals and a broken Triforce wax seal. Zelda felt her heart stop in her chest as she realized there was only one person, beside herself, who was allowed to use such parchment. 

“Father sent a letter?” Zelda asked, unable to avoid the fear creeping into her voice. “What… What did it say?”

Her heart sunk into the pits of her stomach at the way Impa’s face darkened. Goddesses, be good… There was no way that could mean anything Zelda wanted to hear.

“Impa…?” she asked, her voice no more than a mere whisper. When the first didn’t respond, she turned to her sister. “Purah?”

The elder sister removed the glasses perched on the top of her head and began cleaning them on her lab coat. She hesitated as she did so, trying to find words good enough for the princess. It wasn’t easy.

Finally, though, the scientist sister managed to find something to say, even if her tone was unsure. 

“Well, Princess, seems Lord Dragmire’s… eager for you to come back. If you know what I mean.”

Zelda’s furrowed brows gave enough of answer. She had no idea what Purah meant.

Impa was quick to take over following a helpless look from her sister.

“I’m sorry to say that Lord Dragmire demands his marriage to you be consummated before the ceremony takes place. He requests that you give yourself to him as soon as you return from Akkala.”

“Like Hell she will!” Robbie snapped, slamming a fist into the cold steel table. He ignored the way it tore his skin and the blood that dripped down his knuckles. He ignored the way Zelda flinched from his anger.

Zelda’s bottom lip began to quiver. Though Robbie’s anger was intimidating, it was nowhere near as terrifying as the harsh reality before her: in no more than a few week’s time, she’d have to give herself over to a man she knew next to nothing about and pretend she’d never loved another before.

“Calm yourselves,” Impa said, though she sounded no happier about the situation than they did. “We have about a week to prepare ourselves for the worst. Perhaps if we can just think of a solution…”

A week was all she had left. Just seven days. The clock was ticking down, down, _down_. 

_Goddesses, please! Give me more time; I need more time!_

Zelda’s hands balled up tight into trembling fists. Surely, there had to be something she could still do, that only a princess like herself could do.

Her eyes widened. 

Of course! There was something she could do!

“Please excuse me! I must write a letter to Father!”

With those words spoken, Zelda turned on her heel and sprinted out of the room, not even bothering to smooth her mussed up hair. She prayed to every deity she could name that she didn’t reek of sweat and lust. Or, if she did, everyone would be too busy to notice.

Purah’s gaze followed Zelda out the door, crimson hues full of sympathy for the heir to the throne. As soon as her footsteps and hurried breaths could no longer be heard, Impa shut the door and turned on Robbie with a newfound fury.

“As for you!” 

Impa jammed an accusatory finger into his bare chest. Though he’d bothered to at least put pants on, only his lab coat dared cover his top. 

He stared down at her finger against his chest, then slowly looked up at her. Yet again the energy had drained from his soul leaving only bitterness and a deep hate within his crimson eyes.

“What? Have something to say?” he asked, his tone cold as the Hebra Tundra.

“Sis, please stop-” Purah tried, but was immediately cut off.

“I do!” Compared to his chilling hate, Impa’s anger burned brighter than the fires of Death Mountain. “Damn it, Robbie! Are you out of your mind? Her Majesty is struggling enough just trying to let this go! What was this supposed to do? Help turn the kingdom against our struggling princess?”

She knew he loved Zelda, and that the princess loved him in turn. How could she not know? But this was hardly the time or place for such things. The kingdom of Hyrule was being trampled by civil war after civil war, and now even the throne was at stake. 

Were Zelda’s affair against her very kingdom to be revealed, the warring races may very well turn against the royal family itself. That was not a possibility Impa could take.

And yet it seemed to be enough of a reality for Robbie to have completely accepted it as such. 

He lazily raised and lowered his shoulders in a shrug. “She’s fully capable of making her own decisions. If her decision is to be with me, well…” He chuckled. “Who am I to stop her?”

Impa let out a frustrated scream as she ran her fingers through her silver hair. “Who are you? You’re her damn mentor, for the love of Hylia!”

Crimson eyes turned to Robbie. Purah tried to warn him. “Robbie-”

It was too late.

“As a mentor, perhaps I have a right to stop her. But as her lover-“

Smack!

Before Impa could even register her own actions, she’d slapped the older scientist hard enough to leave a red, stinging handprint against his pale cheek. 

“As her lover, you’re going to get yourself beheaded! And what would she do then?”

He glared down at her. “And what am I supposed to do then? Just let her go?”

His fists trembled by his sides. Try as she might, Impa couldn’t tell whether he was frustrated, depressed, or merely trying not to retaliate. Purah stood ready to intervene if he tried anything.

“Yes, Robbie. It’s for the good of the kingdom!” Impa snapped.

Robbie was quick to retort, “But what about what’s good for Zelda?”

“Living is good for her, and for you. Don’t you get that? I am _trying_ to keep you both safe. If you live, you can at least be there for her. She can confide in you if you stay by her side.”

Purah nodded in agreement. “Yeah, Impa’s got a point. Not to mention it’d kill her - literally _kill_ if something happened to you.”

“Seriously, Robbie! Think about how you felt when you lost Cherry!”

A deep silence flooded the room, the tension growing between discomfort and fury.

The color drained from Robbie’s face, then rushed back in a heated flush. Purah muttered a small “Oh, shit…” as her sister’s words dawned on her. And all Impa could do was have her mouth fall open, gaping as she tried to process how such cruel words could pass her lips, let alone to a dear friend.

After what felt like an eternity, Impa opened her mouth to apologize. “Robbie, I-”

It was too late.

“Don’t you think that’s why I’m doing this?” Robbie snapped at the top of his lungs. His balled fists were enough of a threat that he’d do something he regretted.

He raised a hand, but lowered it when he saw Impa flinch away.

“Damn it!” he screamed, overturning the table he’d been sitting on not too long ago. “Of course I remember what happened! I made a mistake, and she took the blame. That bastard of a king killed my wife, and I… I was powerless. I did _nothing_. I _let_ her die and it’s _my_ fault she suffered!” 

His voice cracked at the end and he lowered his head into his palm. His large form shook with tears he fought to hold back.

“It’s my fault, but I can do things right this time,” he mumbled helplessly, barely loud enough for the sisters to hear. “I love Zelda too much to let her suffer like Cherry did. I can’t- I won’t just stand around and let the king have his way!”

Purah put an arm around her younger sister and pulled her back. She watched as Robbie knocked a chair over near him, then a half-finished invention which shattered upon impact with the floor. Better them than her sister, if you asked Purah.

“I know. I get it. I really do,” she said, her tone sympathetic. “But what are you supposed to do against the king himself?”

“I… I don’t know! Something!” Robbie eased into a worn chair and held his head in his hands. He shook his head. “I need to do something. I need to act. If I lose Zelda-” 

A sob shook his body. The two sisters glanced away, offering him at least enough privacy to cry without being looked at.

“Robbie,” Impa mumbled. She didn’t know what else to say.

“I won’t let myself think like that. I love her too much.” He turned in the swivel chair to face his desk before frantically grabbing materials. Paper, quill, inkwell, scrap parts - he quickly readied them for work on his paper. “I won’t give up on her, on us. I’ll keep her safe no matter what!”

Impa sighed softly. “I know you will. And… I’m sorry.”

Truthfully, she didn’t know what Robbie could do at this point, or if there was anything left for him to do. They were all so powerless when the king had made up his mind.

“Mm,” Robbie mumbled, half-acknowledging his words as he thought something over carefully. If he was right, maybe they still had a chance.

He glanced over his shoulder at the two.

“Impa, I’m sorry I yelled at you. But I need you both to leave me be for now. Make sure no one bothers me and keep the princess safe.”

He turned back to his desk, not bothering to watch the two leave.

“All I need is time, and I’m running out…”

He dipped the tip of the quill in ink and set it to paper.


End file.
